ROCKHARD.DE 

Please say something about the DVD. You have been working on it for a long time, right?
 
Yeah longer than we thought but we were more or less cursed. Anything that could go wrong did. There is always some black cloud surrounding most of our releases; whether it’s extreme weather, family tragedies, tapes being lost, etc. However we knew we had something special so we took our time as usual. Don’t you know time moves slower in primordial land?

Please compare Ireland to Germany (metal-wise).
 
Oufff...you want a thesis? Holy shit. Really its like night and day really. I think that every alternative culture is pushed to the fringes of society in Ireland. It might seem like we are an open minded country these days but actually we are more conservative than ever. Some money made us even more conceited and soulless. I preferred the Dublin of 1990 to 2010. Sure it was rough but people were willing to accept differences more and people seemed to have more to say, so metal and punk thrived. Even still being 'alternative' is not accepted as a lifestyle choice beyond teenage immaturity in social circles. Things have changed a little now with the recession and there are some different attitudes coming to the surface which is good to see but overall we are still a conservative country with the hangover of catholic guilt and colonial oppression. Victim mentality and pub philosophy! The recession can only be good for arts sake! 

Has anybody reacted to your piece in the rock hard black metal special (our readers sure have!)?
 
I really don't know to be honest. Some people commented that they thought i made some good points. I always had a very clear view of what i thought black metal was and what it should be. I think right now there’s a movement to try and remove the 'teeth' from metal. To condemn everything extreme, orthodox black metal should be apolitical. It's plain and simple. How can you remove the extremity from extreme music and why are you surprised when people with extreme attitudes make this music? It doesn't exist in a vacuum, it has to come from somewhere. 

Does the rest of the band willingly accept your role as the frontman/leader? You talk most of the time during the documentary!
 
Well theres always arguments but its been a trade off since day one. They have more control of the music, like the engine room and im out front steering the ship. People often think its my band but we are all equally important, and you do hear from and see the other guys in the documentary. Im also well versed in doing interviews now and how to talk on camera and off the top of my head so it seems like i have more to say.

Are your parents proud of you NOW?
 
Haha. you remember that chat huh? Yeah things have worked out and now everyone my age in Ireland is unemployed and in massive debt and huge negative equity being in a band doesn’t seem like such a bad move o) 

When can we expect a new album?
 
The idea right now is to record in June and release in September! Things are coming together really well. We have loads of backbones of songs and ideas and they sound really strong. Very diverse. Some really intricate almost proggy sounding melancholy with 70s ideas to very simple grim old school black metal. However people shouldn’t worry, we know best and it sounds full of energy and life!